Halloween de la Parade Party : Oneshot
by Kunoichi-Neko
Summary: Sumikoa, a Konoha ninja orignally from the Mist, gets an invite to a party happening with Konoha's first annual parade. Eager to see Gaara once more, she discovers a new crush has well. Rated M for the hell of it.


Author's Note: This is a special one-shot for my good friend, Sumikoa! Yes, I realize that oneshots have like...I dunno, just one or two people mentioned tops? But this is a special oneshot sooooo... grins 

Read and review. Let me hear your thoughts ( about the fanfic, not what's going on around the block at Jimmy's Home-Alone party or if I knew Old Mac Donald had a farm...)

Sayo !!

* * *

Dear Sumikoa-san,

As requested by the Fifth Kazekage for all Suna ninja, you are cordially invited to participate in Konoha's 1st annual Halloween de la Parade. It will begin at 8:00 p.m. sharp and end by 4:00 a.m. the next day. There will be food, games, and plenty of refreshments. A Halloween party will be hosted by Cacashe Hatakay at the old training dojo near the gate around 8:00 p.m. aswell. If you are planning to come to this party, it is requested that you bring or simply wear a costume. We hope to see you there.

(If I misspell anybody's name, take a good look, laugh awhile, but remember that you've done it before too, so you're just as humurous as I am.)

Sincerely,  
Konoha's Board of Eldermen.

* * *

Sumikoa gaped at the invitation in shock. Of course it was quite odd to see a Japanese-named village holding their very own parade with its name partially in French but that wasn't as shocking as seeing such a generous yet grammatically incorrect letter handed personally to her by the Kazekage's brother. However, the misspelling of "Kakashi Hatake" did bring some competition for that.

"So, you coming or are you gonna disappoint my little bro, huh?" Asked the brother with the Chesire Cat grin. If his hat were only purple like the make-up on his face, he would have been the spitting image of the goofy feline. Sumikoa blushed slightly, hiding the redness by keeping her head angled and pretending to reread the letter.

"Well,.. it seems very 'humurous' indeed, so... um.." Sumikoa responded, smiling thoughtfully at the letter. Her eyes wandered from the letter and across the road to the small forest nestled right smack in the middle of a street with Japanese tea gardens built right into it. From where she stood in the doorway of her duplex, she had a clear view of the orange leaves falling from the trees on which they sprouted, showing that autumn was here at last. She almost got lost in her thoughts looking at the beautiful scenary, but returned to the situation due to a cough from Kazekage.

Oh yes, she would love to go, especially since it was hinted that Gaara would more or less be there. The two had grown onto each other, both willing to open up to the other and tell them their thoughts. A true and wonderful friendship was born. However, the invite also mentioned an after party near the gate which would mean the abundance of "refreshments" were more than likely alcohol related . Getting drunk with veterinary exams mere days ahead could not and would not fit in her schedule. But she wouldn't drink. If she told herself she wouldnt, then she wouldn't. Simple as that.

"Yeah, I'll be there." Sumikoa proclaimed, getting an approving nod from Kankurou. The boy turned away lazily towards the upside of the slanted walk. The breeze played with his hat, forcing the flaps back and forth and revealing the spikey brown hair clumped underneath.

"Alright. It's tonight so be ready." He said before taking a few steps away.

"Tonight?!" Sumikoa cried. She hopped up off the porch, coming within inches of hitting Kankurou. Luckily, she was able to completely brake the instant she touched down. "Tonight at 8:00?!"

"Yeah." Kankurou replied. He showed no signs of emotion at that moment, frighteningly similar to his younger brother. Sumikoa cursed inwardly. She hadn't thought of what to wear yet. She just got the letter 5 minutes ago! How was she going to come up with a costume that quick?!

Groaning, Sumikoa turned away from Kankurou, heading back up the stone steps to her duplex with an annoyed frown. Kankurou raised an eyebrow, but didn't question the kunoichi. She gave a quick, simple wave to the boy before the door was closed and locked tight.

* * *

The loud tv blares reached the whole block from their origin inside the small living room. All the lights had been turned off and the sweet smell of fresh popcorn wavered through the apartment rooms, no windows open or cracked for it to drift away. Images danced across the t.v. screen, illuminating the dark-haired girl's attentive eyes. She watched the show character's run around and around like wild men, an apple-eating monster cocking its head as it spoke and walked alongside a rather cute burnette.

The show was not exactly her favorite, but she did enjoy it. However, that itself was great considering nothing could beat the all-time fave show about a bunch of high school hotties taking girls out on dates and even acquiring a girl in their group accidently.

Sumikoa stared into the magical world unraveling before her. She ate a piece of popcorn, the buttery taste melting on her tongue. As hard as she tried to concentrate on the show, the question kept popping up and pestering her over and over again. Once, the apple-creature asked a question that got turned into that same persistant question, which was kind of odd considering their completely different issues.

What am I going to wear to the party?

* * *

Impatient was something that described Sumikoa. Best described her probably. The special store in Konoha with plenty of neat clothes in it wouldn't open for another 30 minutes, and she was eager to go and look for some clothes to wear to the party. She wasn't sure who she would cosplay as, or if she was going to cosplay at all. It was all so confusing and all had to get sorted before 8:00 p.m.

Sumikoa glanced at the metallic clock on the wall. 5:30 p.m. It got dark quick nowadays, which had it's ups and downs. Sure it was cooler and it wasn't so bright that it could blind you, but it was also perfect times for rogue attacks. They could hide way better and attack in complete formations that only jonin would be able to sense half the time. Thankfully, however, Konoha had caught on to these mass occuring rogue attacks, and tightened the security around the gates to its max.

5:31. The time was standing still almost. Maybe she should walk around a bit. What if that helped pass the time? Well, that would be better than waiting around doing nothing.

Sighing, Sumikoa hopped up out of her seat, knocking the popcorn bowl onto the floor by accident. It miraculously landed without flipping over or spilling even one piece of popcorn on the floor. Sumikoa, however, was already pulling on her shoes and walking out the door to notice it.

* * *

The air was somewhat chilly outside. Of course it was to be expected since it was nearing winter time. Autumn was indeed Sumikoa's favorite season. The gentle breezes were nothing like the cold, harsh roars of those in the winter and definitely different from the ones in summer that almost never came. Everything felt perfect.

Sumikoa's shoes tapped a beat on the sidewalk as she strided along, eyes to the dark cloud above. Tak, tak, tak, tak, tak. It sounded like a tiny drum almost. Reassuring yet exciting all at once. It brought a spring to the young girl's step, and she soon found herself on the wooden rooftops of the houses along the sidewalk.

The raven-haired girl glided with gracefullness across the rooftops, the wind whistling in her ears with every leap and curve she took. Few times, her black jacket came dangerously close to catching on a sharp point. Each time, she uniquely dodged them within a second's time. Laughing, she took one bound and landed on the roof of a pretty large store. She peeked over the edge, her eyes meeting the sign at an upside-down view.

SNOWFLAKES:  
The One and Only Place for Your Apparel Neccessities.

"Yes!" Sumikoa whispered to herself. Swiftly moving her feet, she flipped over the top of the roof and landed on the cold ground before Snowflakes's entrance. She turned on her toes, facing the store with a confident grin. The stores beside it seem to blur and a light started to shine behind it. Sumikoa sighed, looking down at her watch, knowing 30 minutes had passed.

5:34 p.m.

* * *

Sumikoa sat, forcing a semi-cheerful expression on her face when anyone passed by, on the park bench near Snowflakes. A short while had passed since Sumikoa had stood in the middle of the street, gawking at the watch on her wrist. She moved once she realized she was blokcing some people's ways. The ugly old bench was the only place somewhat comfortable to sit. At least the park itself wasn't so bad to look at despite you could hardly see it in the dark.

Groaning in annoyance, Sumikoa shifted in her seat constantly. Why couldn't Snowflakes open up any earlier? It was cruel. Cruel to the customers who had to wait outside, or just the one customer having to wait outside. The lights inside were on, but no one was in sight and the "CLOSED" sign was still blinking in the window. The girl ventured another glance at her watch.

5:38 p.m.

As the long minutes went by like years, the wind began to grow chillier and chillier. Unfortunately for Sumikoa, her coat was no entirelyt made for protection against such cold winds. She shivered as every rush whistled by and played in the trees. Crossing her arms didn't help much at all. The wind still penetrated through her jacket. Why it was so cold, she did not know. But the weatherman did say it would get a bit chilly, then rise up around the party time thankfully. Sumikoa would never have gone in weather like this.

Sumikoa stood up as soon as the wind began to die down. The streetlights flickered on, shining their awakening lights upon the cracking sidewalk. Sumikoa walked under them, feeling like a dozen spotlights were pouring down on her. It brought back good memories. Like the one of her date show she always did. How those bright lights shone like the sun upon the famous stage. It reminded her most of, however, her crush. Gaara of the Sand. Kazekage if you will.

She stepped up to the door, touching the cold glass and withdrawing her hand as it burned slightly. Looking through the glass, she could see the rows and rows of clothes lined up, even more than regular. It was amazing how much Snowflakes could get in one day. Even more amazing to see the end-of-the-year sales. They were miracles.

"Sumikoa?" A voice came from behind the awestruck girl. She swerved around, her hazel eyes meeting sky blue jewels. Naruto Uzumaki, the most mischeivious boy in all of Konoha. He wore his signature outfit, a black and orange jacket with matching orange pants. His hair was beginning to grow over his headband, giving him a much older appearance. His face grew a bit longer since his years of a hyperactive 13-year-old.

"Oh, Naruto! Hi." Sumikoa said, sighing in relief. She glanced back at the door tiredly, hoping that maybe it had opened.The "CLOSED" sign still flashed and nobody was headed their way.

"What are you doing?" Naruto asked. He cocked his head to the side with his eyes squinted so that they looked shut. That combined with his peculiar whiskers gave him a definite fox appearance. Looking at him older now, Sumikoa had to admit, he was cute. That seemed to trigger something somwhere, a warm feeling rising in her cheeks.

"I'm waiting for this store to open." She replied and shrugged to aovid further questioning. Naruto raised an eyebrow, starting to walk towards her. Sumikoa watched him carefully, unsure what he was doing as he neared her. He reached over her shoulder, his arm close enough that it brushed her cheek slightly. Now the odd feeling erupted in her stomach. Why did that happen all so sudden? It was as though she was Hinata now, especially since the feeling was not so new.

Click.

"Woah!" Sumikoa cried as she fell back suddenly. She landed on cold green tile wtih white plastering between it. Laughter carried after her from outside; Naruto's laughter. Sumikoa couldn't keep back a tiny smile at him.

"It's been open for awhile now." Naruto said. He walked in the door, extending a hand out to the girl on the floor. Sumikoa stared at him blankly, then grabbed his hand as he helped her up. A sling bag around Naruto's hip bumped into her leg, but it was extremely light seeing as it seemed jam-packed.

"Thanks," Sumikoa muttered, looking away. Naruto's same old obliviousness hadn't faded slightly.

"No problem. Bye, Sumikoa." Naruto released her hand, waved, then disappeared down an aisle, leaving Sumikoa completely alone. She sighed. This day was starting to get crazier by the second. If that were the case, then the party out to be surprising hopefully. What still, what was she going to wear?

Then, from out of the blue, an idea clicked. Flashbacks of the show she was watching played in her mind. There was one that she would prefer to dress up as. One that would be simple to cosplay if she bought a blonde wig. One with good taste in clothes and would be easy to find in Snowflakes.

The girl darted into the clothe aisles wihtout a second thought.

* * *

Sumikoa spent almost an hour in Snowflakes, picking through various clothes until she found exactly what she wanted. Occasionally she was interrupted by the yowls and screeches from the manager at his employees. It must've sucked to be a human working for a pure-white nin-cat at that moment. When she finally left the chaotic store, an entire pile of black clothes stuck out of her bags. Even boots resided in the plastic.

She was home in 30 minutes, ironically enough being the actual time it takes to get to her house from Snowflakes in vise versa. It was not amusing by the least to Sumikoa. But she was pleased to see that the chills from before had left and the climate was soothingly warm.

The lock clicked in its slot. The home was just as she left it, unspilled popcorn on the floor and the t.v. blaring. When she glanced at the clock, she felt her stomach plummet. 6:30 p.m. It took exactly 20 minutes from her house to the gate. Probably a good 10 to the training feild if she didn't delay. But how was she to dress up from memory only in 30 minutes?!?! It was like writing a fanfic in 20 minutes!! (A/N: P)

Sumikoa ran into her room and slammed the door shut. She threw all the bags on the floor, rummaging through them hastily. She pulled out everything she knew her character wore and tossed them in the bathroom next door. She grabbed the make-up, the boots, the wig, tossed them all in there too. Then, like a bat out of hell, she was dressing up.

* * *

The rather small training field was anything but its normal self. Christmas lights, odd for a Halloween party, lay draped across every available branch in the trees and every thicket inside the mesh wire. The dirt ground stayed left alone since no one bothered to put down fake grass and such when so many people were dancing on it and killing the last bits of grass anyway. The old, wooden dojo stood tall with its own army of christmas lights twinkling around it. Everything appeared peacefull, then the music cranked up from somewhere inside.

Sumikoa stepped sideways to get a distant peek inside the dojo. The first thing she saw was the scarecrow nin maning a newly-added bar close the back wall. He passed drinks out constantly, seeing as a bunch of people were thristy for some reason. The stereo roaring with music lie hidden from veiw by the mass number of ninja dancing in there as well. From the door, a man dressed in a huge chicken suit peered suddenly behind the door frame, then disappeared back in the crowd. Sumikoa could have sworn he had some drinks in his hand, a little too much for him alone. He might be one of those type of people that would put date-rape drugs in drinks when no one was looking then wander off.

The girl watched him suspicuously til he left, then looked down at her own outfit. All black. From the net stockings, the frilly skirt, the spagetti strap shirt, the net arm warmers to match the stockings, and even her hair which was half in two separate ponytails and the rest free. Mistress Diva.

Sumikoa smiled, striding forward into the crowds. She bumped into everyone and they bumped into her. Someone was calling out to the ninja, telling them where they were supposed to be, but no one would listen. Just when Sumikoa came close to freedom from the human bulldozers, the same person started herding them all like cattle. Another 30 minutes passed via irrelevant reasons.

* * *

The dojo littering shook from the music beating loud enough to reach another planet. It was amazing how the walls didn't just fall in right then and there, especially with all the earthquake-like shaking of the floor from dancers jumping a little too hard to the cha-cha. Red and blue lights flashed around the ceiling constantly in tune with the music.

A few people came and went. Some greeted Sumikoa, complemented her costume, then disappeared into the unknown. Sumikoa knew the names of all of them, but none were at the top of her mind at that point. There was one person she was looking out for, however, one person she wanted to see. Kazekage-sama Gaara.

Would he really be there? Would he still like her, especially after the long distance between them due to his duties in Suna? She yearned to go with him, but she was needed in Konoha. It was getting to be a slight hassle having a crush on someone so far away. However, she never really saw anyone in Konoha that sparked her interest. Well, all except for one, but she wasn't sure what she felt for that boy.

"Oi, Sumikoa!!" The undeniable shout of Uzumaki Naruto rang out, unfortunately from directly behind Sumikoa in an odd case of think-of-the-devil. She gasped and spun around to face the boy. The only thing that separated Naruto from the crowd was his charming blue eyes and animalstic scars on his face.

"N-Naruto??" Sumikoa stuttered, looking in amazment at the boy's costume.

Apparently a fan of the same show as Sumikoa, Naruto had a marvelous cosplay outift on. Somehow, he smoothed out his hair so that it fell to one side like it was wet, also dying it a sleek brown. He wore a long-sleeved, white shirt with a buisness coat, tie included, and some blue jeans that the cuffs lazily laid on his sneakers he managed to snag from somewhere. More than likely Snowflakes, seeing as they had an odd variety of American shoes.

"Check it out!" Naruto grinned, holding out a card in his hand. Sumikoa took it carefully, studying over the detailed designs on the front and back before opening it. The inside wasn't as detailed, but tons of names were scribbled in it. "Sasuke" was the very first that came to sight, while the others were scrambled anywhere and everywhere underneath it.

"Cool, huh?" Naruto's toothy grin touched his ears as he spoke. He looked ultimately childish for his age.

"Naruto...what is this?" Sumikoa asked, looking up at him curiously.

"It's the Deathnote!! See all the names? I've been writing everyone's name in it, and they've been freaking out! Esepcially the ones with the drinks. They start screaming." The boy looked back at the crowd. As though on que, a group of girls began squealing and shrieking at the top of their lungs. Sumikoa stared in amazement, then felt the "Deathnote" being tugged in her hand. She released it gingerly, careful not to tear it.

"So, that's what you've been doing ever since the party started? " asked Sumikoa. Naruto nodded, pocketing the note where no one could see it. Sumikoa laughed, looking past the boy to the stereo system that had finally shown up. The CD inside whirled in the form of a whirlpool, the colors becoming a confusing blur. She recognized the song, but forgot the name. However, she knew it was coming to an end, so she closed her eyes and listened to what might come next.

The song opened with a guitar playing regular, then scaling on one short part to initiate the rest of the song. Sumikoa gasped when she first heard the guitar, realizing the song and playing it in her head before it even did the quicky scale.

"Oh my God.." Sumikoa whispered, gaping then smiling.

" She's cold and she's cruel, but she knows what she's doing " The band leader sang from inside the stereo.

"What?" Naruto asked, looking at Sumikoa in confusion.

" She pushed me in the pool at our last school reunion.. "

"This song...It's my favorite!!" Sumikoa cried, grinning. She searched around frantically for a certain red-head, but got no luck.

" She laughs at my dreams, but I dream about her laughter. "

"Oh,...who are you looking for??" Naruto followed Sumikoa's hurried glances somehow, raising an eyebrow at her when she finally looked down and sighed.

" Strange as it seems, she's the one I'm after. "

"I was looking for...someone...I was hoping to dance with them tonight, but I can't find him anywhere.." Sumikoa replied with a frown. Naruto studied her silently for once, then took her hand and tugged.

" Cuz she's bittersweet, she knocks me off of my feet,. "

"Come on!!" Naruto said, pulling Sumikoa out of the dojo. The song continued to play, the next part sadly getting skipped but Sumioa knew the lines anyway. Right now, she was just curious about what Naruto was doing.

" But I keep coming back for more. She's just the girl I'm looking for "

"Naruto, what in the world are you-" Sumikoa stopped mid-sentence as Naruto turned around quickly, pulling her close and holding her hand in the air with his hand on her hip.

"You said you wanted to dance, so..." Naruto answered with a smile. Sumikoa's eyes widened, and she knew she was blushing already.

" She can't keep a secret for more than an hour "

Sumikoa felt the caterpillars in her stomach burst into full-fledged butterflies, flaping around her stomach for a way out. She sighed, lifting her free arm up and wrapping it around Naruto's neck. She loosened her grip on his hand, mentally asking him to let go. He did, and she wrapped that arm around his neck aswell.

Just like that, they were dancing on the dirt, keeping time with the beat and spinning slowly. They kept eye contact most of the time, but Sumikoa looked away from shyness every once in a while. The song seemed to go on forever to Sumikoa, who loved the song but wasn't sure if it was right to dance with someone other than Gaara. But why would it matter? They weren't together or anything. Just maybe a crush. Maybe more, maybe less. But that was only what one side of her said. The other side loved every moment with Naruto, seeing as she was probably one of the first girls to dance with him.

" She's just the girl I'm looking for "

Sumikoa chuckled, looking up at Naruto as he spun her around. "You're pretty good, Naruto.." She muttered, her cheeks slightly red. She placed her arms around his neck again, walking slowly with him.

"You're not bad either, Sumikoa." Naruto replied. The song came to an end with a final part from the guitar. Just as the guitar neared its end, Naruto moved his hand up Sumikoa's back, positioning himself so that the girl was sideways. She watched him in sudden confusion and shyness, gasping as they finished their dancing with a docey-do. He pulled her back up gently, getting a few claps from some people in the crowd and some drunken ninja screaming a cheer.

"Uhm..." Sumikoa muttered, looking down quietly. "Thanks, Naruto..."

"No prob." He replied, crossing his arms. They looked at each other for one moment, then Sumikoa looked away, listening to the new song by Fergie come on the CD. The wind blew softly, brushing her hair into her face. She flicked it back with her finger hesitantly.

"Hey, it's the deathnote kid!! Get him!!" Another sudden random, drunk voice echoed from the crowd. Naruto did a double-take, chuckling before dashing off. As he passed Sumikoa, he winked at her, almost unseeable for he was so quick, but Sumikoa knew he winked at her.

Sumikoa was amazed, so amazed she actually didn't notice the group of angry ninja rushing past her. She snapped out of it in a second, then decided to go find Gaara. The moment she turned around, she fell from unsteadiness. With a thud, she hit the ground, grunting as she propped herself up.

" You got me trippin' stumblin' flippin', fumblin'. Clumsy cuz I'm falling in love "

Sumikoa glared over at the stereo, realizing how well that song fit in at the moment. She groaned, slapping her hands to her face.

* * *

Gaara watched the fallen girl get to her feet from the secrecy of the crowd. He leaned sadly against the dojo wall, one foot against it with his hands in his pockets. His dyed black hair swayed into his eyes. He too had come and cosplayed, but he had played as a teenaged boy on the show with a one-word name. He was somewhat like what he saw Naruto cosplaying as, but he was more of the teenaged boy style with his clothes. His shirt was simply white and his pants were only blue jeans. His sneakers were simple to say the most.

He had watched Naruto and Sumikoa ever since they had left the dojo. Truthfully, Gaara had seen Sumikoa way before she went in the dojo. However, he was much to shy to go up to her and talk so he just stayed where he was. Of course, he was a bit baffled when he saw his best friend dancing with his crush, but Naruto didn't know so it wasn't exactly his fault. But Gaara couldn't shake the feeling of jealousy as the two danced together bathed by the moonlight.

Gaara remained silentt though, and took in every step they made on the dirt ground with thought. Their percise movements;Their exact swings and turns; Everything, oh how it made him jealous. He felt like crushing something with his sand, but didn't bother. Those harsh days were over since he had learned how to control the anger love constantly threw at him.

"Gaara-sama!!!" A familiar voice cried from the crowd. Sumikoa appeared a moment later, grinning and blushing as her eyes sparkled at him. The last minute thoughts of jealousy and sadness vanished in her emerald eyes, and he could only smile at her.

"I've been looking everywhere!! Where have you been?" She asked, crossing her arms playfully. Gaara blinked. He felt the sadness again, but fought it back down.

"Nowhere..." Gaara mumbled, avoiding eye contact. Sumikoa cocked her head slightly. She was wondering why he was so quiet, but that could be explainable since she was around Naruto, the awakener of the dead. Blushing a crimson red, she took his hand quickly, pulling him away from the wall.

"Come on, let's go dance!" She said with a smile, but not as strong as the smile she had for Naruto. It was getting annoying to her now, but what would she do about it? Only the future could tell what she was going to do about her situation as she dragged Gaara along through the crowd and onto the dirt dance floor, and the two began to dance into the night.

* * *

A/N: well, that is all of it!!! yay!! Thank you for reading and hope you like, Sumikoa!!! ;) sorry it took so long lol. 


End file.
